Police analytics can be extremely valuable in the fight against terrorism and crime. By identifying which events are most likely to escalate, predictive techniques can both improve prevention capability and control costs by deploying officers before escalation and where they are needed most.

Police analytics has been gaining more and more attention (which means FrontLine readers will see more on this topic in future editions). When the Ottawa Police Services began looking into it, they identified some 150 police analytics centers in the United States alone.

Great progress has been made since 2007 when Frontline Security first reported on radar surveillance technology designed for use in the homeland by public safety organizations, whose responsibilities include border security, search and rescue, transportation security, and law enforcement.

Homeland Security Research Corporation analysts forecast a strong comeback of the X-ray security industry generating a solid 7% CAGR. The growth will be boosted by three main drivers: expansion of the Asia Pacific secured facilities and aviation security markets; the replacement of more than 40,000 outdated X-ray systems; and despite a decade of R&D aiming at new baggage, luggage, cargo and mail screening technologies, there is no modality on the horizon that can competitively challenge the cost-performance of the X-ray based screening technologies.

Newspapers were full with stories of how the RCMP, supported by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), had just prevented a “terrorist attack” at the BC Legislature on July 1st (Canada Day) 2013. These unfolding events provided a revealing background to my inquiries about Canada’s maritime security infrastructure, and were relevant to my inquiries on how culturally different federal departments work together efficiently.

While the term “War on Terror” has been causing “political correctness” controversies of late, the situation needs to be defined, if only to have all parties on the same page. If it’s not a war, then what is it? Because these terror tactics will not stop, it is in some respects far worse than a conventional war, as we all know too well. We thought we had the air transport security threat under control – then along comes the “Underpants Bomber,” who, almost completely and ­single-handedly, wrecked the calm of our holiday season.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) processes about 97 million people and a constant flow of goods worth billions of dollars each year — the value of cross-border trade with the United States alone averages $1.9 billion a day. It is a massive responsibility. The task is made all the more challenging by the current post-9/11 environment, fraught as it is with the threat of terrorism and other criminal activities.

A year ago, the Science and Technology Foresight Directorate of the Office of the National Science Advisor (ONSA) was asked to assist the new Public Security Technical Program (PSTP), a joint security technology initiative of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) and Defence Research & Development Canada (DRDC).

He has seven separate aliases (that we know of), and is believed to possess American, Guyanese, Trinidadian and Canadian passports as well as pilot training. He is an engineering graduate that the FBI reports attended Ontario’s McMaster University (where he sought to acquire nuclear material) as well as Al Qaeda training camps before 9/11. He speaks English flawlessly having been raised in New York and Florida where his associates included Jose Padilla and Mohammed Atta.